Details about what may have triggered the incident are not yet available. According to TMZ, two fellow artists who were at the scene said that Johnson's actions came without warning. One of them said there were not "any hard drugs that would cause him to do such a thing."

Johnson's recording credits include "When the Guns Come Out," which was included on the soundtrack of the 2004 film Blade: Trinity.

Some observers have cautioned that, despite the bizarre nature of this story, any act of self-harm should be treated with the same gravity—and inspire the same concern for mental health—as stories such as that of the recent suicide of 22-year-old For Brown Girls blogger Karyn Parker.